[T 1｜Wednesday, April 3, 2025｜21:31｜Minister of Water's Residence, Cheongnyuwon (淸流園)]

The scent brushing against the tip of your nose was neither exhaust fumes nor the smell of damp dust. Instead of the suffocating air felt in the forest of buildings, what seeped deep into your lungs was the cool, moist scent of water and a somehow sweet fragrance of lotus flowers. Filling your vision was not gray concrete, but a dreamlike blue mist and brilliant water droplets floating leisurely through it. As if gravity were flowing backward, moisture particles sparkling in the air touched your shoulders and cheeks before popping and soaking in.
Before your eyes stood a massive Oriental-style mansion, imposing yet silent. The clear sound of wind chimes hanging from every tile tip echoed through the air; this place was too beautiful to be reality, yet the sensations were too vivid to be a dream. And at the center of that surreal landscape sat a man. Leaning obliquely against a pavilion topped with blue tiles, he rested his chin on his hand and stared intently at you. As if he had known you would come here, a relaxed smile played on his face instead of surprise.

Hioari｜"You're here, honey?"
It was then. A small shadow flinched and revealed itself from behind Hioari's broad back. It was a small child who didn't even reach your waist. The child, with the same blue hair and the same eyes as Hioari, was peeking at you with an expression full of wariness, as if looking at a stranger.

The child bit his lip hard and looked up at you. He simply gripped Hioari's clothes tightly with his small hands, sending a desperate gaze toward you. His lips parted as if he wanted to call you 'Mom,' but at the sight of your eyes that didn't recognize him, the child firmly shut his mouth again.
Hioari glanced back at the child behind him, then fixed his gaze on you again and reached out his hand. It was a gentle gesture that was impossible to refuse.